Bidyut K Sarkar MBBS, M.D in Preventive and Social Medicine has more than 15 years of public health experience including more than eleven years (1999-2010) progressive experience in research, disease surveillance systems, and immunization with the WHO Country office for India’s- National Polio Surveillance Project (NPSP). He has worked in the states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhattisgarh and at national level based at New Delhi for more than 5 years.

Prior to joining PHFI in November 2010, he was working as National Research Team Leader, WHO- NPSP-India. Earlier he was the National Surveillance Team leader in 2008-2009, and Dy National Team Leader–Surveillance since year 2005. He has been a trainer on disease surveillance for C.D.C, Atlanta, USA in 2009, a National trainer for State EPI Managers training in 2008, and also been a member of National surveillance review teams. He coordinated three ICMR- WHO studies on Sero-prevalence of polio antibodies in U.P and Bihar in India (2007 - 2010). These studies played a critical role to inform polio vaccination policy for polio eradication in India.

In November 2010, he was selected on a Wellcome trust scholarship (WTP-PHFI) for doctoral research in Epidemiology and Public health at University College London (UCL). His topic is “A cluster randomized trial of a brief tobacco cessation intervention in low income communities in India” (ISRCTN Reg No 23362894)

Sarkar B.K,Lack of a public health cadre and an accountability framework in government health services and non existence of a potent regulatory authority for the private health sector involvement will impede implementation and thwart the objectives of National Health Mission. BMJ 2013;346.f2134/rr/640613